MOTORIST FOR TRIAL

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3808, 14 September 1936, Page 5

MOTORIST FOR TRIAL

NEGLIGENT DRIVING CHARGE. ACCIDENT AT MAUNGATAUTARI Charged with negligently driving a motor vehicle and causing bodily injury tc Georgs Head, Francis Henry Bird, a lorry driver of Arohena, appeared before Messrs C. H. Priestly and J. S. Fisher, J 5.1., in the Cambridge Court last week. The prosecution followed an accident at Maungatautari on the night ol June 7, when a truck driven by Bird collided with a motor cycle ridden by Head. As a result of injuries he received it was necessary to amputate Head's right leg Represented by Mr W. King, Bird pleaded not guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court at Hamilton for trial. He was admitted to bail on his own recognisance for the sum of £25. Dr H. C. Tod gave evidence that he was called tc Maungatautari on June 7 and found Head lying on the side ot the road. He had a compound fracture of the right leg. After .rendering assistance, he sent Head to the Wai kata Hospital in an ambulance. He saw evidence that the injured man had crawled for some distance along tho road. Victor Cyril Naylor, police constable of Hamilton, said he visited the scene- ot the accident with Constables Maisey and Bowie. He produced a plan and photographs of the roadway and the vehicles concerned. George Leslie Head, a farm labourer, of Maungatautari, stated that he was discharged from hospital last month, after having his right leg amputated. At about 10.30 p.m. on June 7 he was riding his motor cycle on - the Maungatautari Road towards Cambridge when he met with an accident. It was bright moonlight and he had switched off his light. He was on his correct side ot the road and travelling between 20 and 25 miles an hour. After the accident all he remembered was lying in the watertable oft the road. The cycle was resting on his left leg and he stopped the engine, which was still running. Receiving no immediate answers to his calls for help he started crawling along to the Maungatautari Hall. After about hall an hour Mr J. S. Budge found him. To Mr King, Head said he switch ed his light off about half a mile before the accident. He agreed that it would have been wiser to have left it on.

Miss Jane Leggatt Watson, ot Maungatautari, gave evidence ot hav ing seen the lorry pass without lights Similar evidence was given by Archibald McVicar, a farmer, of Maungatautari, who passed the truck and motor cycle, both going at a steady speed. John Sinclair Budge gave evidence of finding Head after the accident. William Monroe, motor garage proprietor, stated that with Constable Maisey he inspected a truck at Arohena. Tho right hand mudguard in the front was dented, also under the right hand mudguard at the rear was buckled up badly as though some object had been caught between the wheel and the mudguard. The right front tyre had a very heavy abrasion mark on the wall of the tyre. There was no right hand front hub cap. Both headlight glasses were miss ing and also the left bulb. The right lamp would burn very dimly. There was no horn on the vehicle, the wind shield was more or less in a state oi collapse, and the brakes were very slack. The vehicle was a dangerous one to have on the road at night time Witness also explained the damage to the motor cycle.

He came to the conclusion that rhere would have been a heavy shock to the steering gear of the vehicle when the collision took place. Constable R. Bowie gave evidence of a search made for the missing mo tor vehicle, which was finally located at Arohena.

This evidence was corroborated by Constable C. H. Maisey. He detailed interviewing Bird, who admitted being the driver ot the truck on the night of the accident. A statement made by Bird was read by Constable Maisey, in which he said that he was a single man, 24 years of age, residing at Arohena. He was the owner of a half ton truck which was not registered for the current year. He held a driver’s license. On June 6th he left Arohena and drove to Monavale, where he stayed with friends. In the evening he went to the pictures in Cambridge, and left the truck at Leamington, as it was not registered. On Sunday he left Monavale at about 9.30 p.m. to return to Arohena. He was passing along the Maungatautari Road near the No. 1 school when he saw a motor cyclist immediately in front of him without a light. He was on his correct side of the road and swerved further to his left to avoid running over the cyclist. He felt a bump, but looking back failed to see anything. The engine of the motor cycle was running and he concluded that everything was all right. He did not pull up, but drove on home. It was bright moonlight part ot the time and at other times the light was patchy. He considered that the bump was caused through the collision with the cyclist, but on hearing the engine running, 'continued on in the belief that the ’lmpact with the cycle could not have been severe enough to upset the cycle or injure the rider. The left hand front lamp and the tail lamp were not burning when the accident occurred. The brakes of the car were in good order. He did not discuss with any person that he had collided with a motor cycle. Had he known that the rider was Injured he would have stopped find rendered assistance.